Architect Kengo Kuma recently built a humble modern pavilion as a tribute to a classic Japanese story written 800 years ago. The short story, Hojoki, by Kamo no Chomei tells the story of how Chomei left the earthquakes, famine and fire of Kyoto to become a Buddhist monk in the mountains, where he lived in a 10-square-foot hut (Hojoan).

Kengo Kuma’s version of the humble dwelling is a transparent temporary shelter dubbed “Hojoan 800 years later” and it is currently on display at Kyoto’s Shigamo Shrine. Made from Japanese cedar with interlocking magnets and covered with ETFE plastic, the shelter gets plenty of light during the day and glows from within at night. The new hut is exemplary of Kuma’s “soft architecture”, which is characterized by its temporary, almost erasable qualities.